For the umpteenth time this week, I have wondered why I suddenly lost the initial excitement I had commencing my National Youth Service Corp some months ago. It was a big dream for me to put on this uniform, and I did it with pride, pushing myself through challenges and setbacks just to arrive here.
I remember one particular night before I even went to the university. My dad begged me not to disappoint him because a few people around thought sending a female child to bag a degree was a waste of time and money.
"I want you to prove them wrong and come back home with the khaki (a common name for the corper's uniform)," my dad's words still ring in my ears up till now, and yes, making him proud was a motivation for me to keep going.
I checked my calendar and realized that my days are numbered as a corper. I have three months left for the program, and as I think about the future, different thoughts and questions keep coming up. The questions aren't new to me, and it looks like I have postponed them enough until now when I have to not just think but prepare for "what's next," which is the biggest of all questions.
Uncertainty in every human journey is not strange to me, as I have been exposed to it at different times in my life. I had this exact feeling after completing my senior school, and it left me thinking about what to study at the university because I had more than one profession I was passionate about.
I successfully figured out what to study but unfortunately didn't get admission that year because of a circumstance I didn't expect. Waiting an extra year opened my mind to something I never thought I could be passionate about, and it changed my mindset about many things, most especially my career choice.
I learned a skill in a year, and it contributed to my success throughout all the academic sessions. While I was planning back then, life was also cooking something in my favor, and that one-year delay wasn't for nothing.
The images in the post are mine.
Going forward after the NYSC, I really wish to start up my event planning business properly, which wouldn't be easy. Knowing the tricks of the business isn't enough because without the proper financial boost, meeting the right people for the right job will be challenging. I have been thinking of a detour, which is finding a job while I gradually build my brand.
It's my best option for now, and I am going to give my best, just as I have always done. These are just my thoughts, and I can't tell what life has prepared for me. Would it be in my favor or not? I can't tell and just have to trust the process despite all the uncertainty.
Three months might look like a long time, but it would be here at any moment. While anticipating what's going to happen next, I will keep reevaluating my plans, hoping things work out well for me.